Saturday, October 24, 2015

Review: Wolfgang Puck Express Pizza

Heading home from Indianapolis late one morning, I was intrigued by the Wolfgang Puck Express located right in my airport terminal. Of course, the cylindrical white-tiled open-flame oven caught my eye as well. I had found Indianapolis to be a town with some good pizza (Napolese and the local favorite Bazbeaux), but no great pizza. Why not take one more shot on my way out of town?

Wolfgang Puck - the man - created Spago, one of the most celebrated restaurants in Los Angeles. His success there made him a household name and served as a launching pad for a chain of Wolfgang Puck restaurants across America. Puck also was one of the very first to fashion a frozen pizza worth eating, no small feat.

Due to the time of day, I was looking for brunch or breakfast. The breakfast pizza I ordered was made with scrambled eggs, bacon, cheese, and onions. This personal pie (generously sized, $11.99) came to my table with a lot of eye appeal.

The crust shared many of the characteristics of a Neapolitan pie, but it was more dense than most. IT didn't sport much of the leopard-spot charring found on most Neapolitans, and its texture was more chewy than crispy. It had the qualities of a very good breadstick, with good texture and great flavor.

Under the hood

The toppings were in perfect harmony. The eggs had the right fluffy texture, and the bacon added the perfect smoky and salty flavor. I can't identify what kind of cheese was used, but it was ideal in both texture and flavor. The little bit of sauteed onion floating on top was the ideal finishing touch. This pizza was loaded with flavor and especially well balanced.

At the open-flame oven

The only improvement possible would be to cook it just a minute longer, to transform some of the crust's chewiness into crispiness. On the whole, this was a Grade A pizza experience. I was full after eating two of the four slices, but of course I happily polished off the entire pie. I'd be happy with this pizza at a regular restaurant, so it was particularly delightful to score such a great meal at an airport.

Not too many years ago, airport dining was a dreadful experience. I remember when it was a bonus to find a Sbarro in the terminal. But over the last decade, more and more airports are including some restaurants that are usually good and sometimes great. Who would have guessed that the best pizza in Indy would be found at a chain restaurant in the airport? Great stuff.